


sweet memories

by hypatheticallyspeaking



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Fey AU, Growing Up, Kidgezine: Kaleidoscope, fey!keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26306848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypatheticallyspeaking/pseuds/hypatheticallyspeaking
Summary: Fate has a funny way of bringing people together, in small moments over the years. Everything seems to connect to that stranger in the woods named Keith. He’s a constant, always there for her throughout everything.
Relationships: Keith/Pidge | Katie Holt
Comments: 9
Kudos: 37
Collections: Kaleidoscope: A Fantasy Kidge Zine 2020





	sweet memories

**Author's Note:**

> My work for the Kidgezine: Kaleidoscope
> 
> Take a look at the full zine here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mdrsmfZQ1__gDBlWW74RVo9BNIaW4INC/view

The forest surrounds Katie, a peaceful respite from the constant jabbering of her fellow elementary schoolers. Pine needles crunch beneath her light-up sneakers as she scampers down the path, clambering across long-fallen trees and jumping atop the occasional scattered stone. Escaping into the trails between her house and school provides her a chance for her imagination to take over as she loses herself in her surroundings. The trees are her kingdom, and the crawling vines are ziplines from one building to the next. 

Her laughter echoes as she runs forward, hands tracing along the tree branches as her feet take her deeper into the woods than she’s been before. The twisting path opens into a clearing, with beams of light streaming down through the foliage. The scattered rocks, carved and chipped, are the walls of a house, and a large woody vine forms an arched doorway. She’s about to take a step across the threshold when someone shouts out to her. 

Glancing around, she doesn’t see anyone. Strange. 

She takes a half-step forward again, only to be pulled back by a firm hand on her shoulder. She pouts. It’s always the big kids who don’t want her to have fun. But this one has a worried expression on his face, similar to her mom’s whenever Katie gets scraped up playing with the older neighborhood kids. 

As he leads her out of the clearing, she can’t quite understand why he’s so concerned with getting her back to the main path. It’s only once her feet are back on the well-worn trail that the person takes a knee next to her. He’s got pretty eyes, a violet that matches her favorite dress. 

“Why did I have to leave?” Katie complains, “I was having  _ fun _ !”

“It’s not safe for you,” he replies in a soft, caring voice. “Besides,” he glances past her, a smile crossing his face, “I think someone is looking for you.” 

Katie stands up, noticing her brother behind her. Taking off running, she clings to him. “Matt!”

“We were worried that you got lost!” He holds her close, his arms warm around her. 

“No, I didn’t! And the nice kid there helped me—” She whirls around, pointing towards where she had been, “—back to the path… He was just here.”

Her brother ruffles her hair. “Well, ‘thank you’ to your invisible friend. It’s time for dinner. Let’s head home.” 

She draws a picture to the best of her ability later that night, stuffing it into her diary. 

He was real… wasn’t he?

*

Her science teacher keeps her late to discuss her newest independent project and use of school equipment, and they get distracted with Katie’s enthusiastic discussion about software. Before she realizes, the last bus is a trail of exhaust fumes and neither of her parents can pick her up from school. 

So, walking it is. 

The middle school’s baseball field borders the forest, and Katie dodges a foul ball from the rec team as she meanders towards the forest path. The early autumn chill from gusts of wind ruffles her hair, but the bright afternoon sunlight soaks into her skin. Despite the rustling leaves from fauna scampering about, Katie’s mind is focused on her newest project. 

The well-worn path transforms into one less-traveled, where bright red leaves crunch beneath her feet and gnarled roots twist upwards from the ground. She only pauses as the trees above her provide a thick canopy, casting shadows that chill the surrounding air. A shiver runs through her, and she clutches her sweatshirt close. 

“What are you doing here?” The voice comes out of nowhere and Katie yelps in surprise, whirling around to face a teenager with shaggy black hair and ghastly pale skin. “You shouldn’t be here, it’s not  _ safe _ .” 

She squints at him, amber eyes narrowed as a childhood memory surfaces from the depths of her psyche. “Oh. My. Gosh.” She reaches a hand out to poke him in the shoulder, denting his oversized red sweatshirt.

“What?” he asks, brow furrowed in confusion. 

“You’re  _ real _ ,” Katie whispers. “Everyone said I had an imaginary friend as a kid.”

“You remember me?”

She presses her lips into a thin line. “Not until I saw you.”

A look of confusion and surprise flits across his face, but it’s gone just as fast and he extends a hand to her. “Come on, I’ll take you back to the path.”

“I can find my way back,” Katie insists, stubborn. She turns around, trying to remember the direction she’d come from. “It’s… I think—” He arches an eyebrow at that, and her bubble of pride pops. “Fine.”

He leads her through the denser parts of the forest, but locations that would normally be impassable by her on her own seem like a minor hassle. They talk a little on the way, but it only takes about half an hour to make it to the section of the path close to her house. 

“Here we are,” he declares. “Be careful, not everyone around here would help you out.”

“Thank you… What’s your name?” It’s funny, but she can’t keep thinking of him as her not-imaginary friend. “I’m sorry; I don’t remember.”

“I never said.”

“Well, then. I’m Pidge,” she declares, extending a hand. She might as well use the nickname. There are too many Katies in her class anyway.

“Keith. It was lovely to see you again.” He smiles, although it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Maybe we’ll cross paths again.” He turns and walks back into the forest.

She makes it home and writes about her encounter in her diary. She manages a name—just the one word—before her parents arrive home, asking about her day. 

While talking about her project, meeting Keith becomes hazy, fading to the back of her mind.

She forgets about him before even she’s done eating dinner.

*

“Nerd!” Pidge dodges a baseball, flinching as it hits a nearby tree with a bark-denting thwack. The fourteen-year-old suppresses a curse; instead of shouting at her would-be attackers, she focuses on weaving her way through the forest. Normally, she would do her best to ignore their relentless teasing. Today though, she’s their sole focus—the result of her standing up for herself when their friend was cheating over her shoulder on the most recent exam. 

Her heartbeat acts as a cadence for her running, pushing her faster and further into the forest as she makes her way into the heart of the woods. The sound of shouting fades, but a set of footsteps encroaches on her current position. She glances around, and she’s surprised to see a guy who appears to be a few years older than her. He’s keeping pace with her, but he’s not winded while she’s sprinting.

“What are you running from?” The guy asks.

“Bullies,” she says between heavy breaths. “And I really don’t want to get attacked today.”

A pause, then he extends a hand. “I know a place you’d be safe for a bit.” 

Something in her gut says to trust him, even though he’s a stranger. Maybe because it’s safer than the mob of bullies, maybe because she has a distinct feeling that she  _ knows _ him. 

She slips her hand into his. “Okay.” 

“Come on, then.” 

He leads her through the forest to a small clearing. 

The sensation of déjà vu is overwhelming, and Katie does a double-take. She walks around the edge of the clearing, trailing her hand along large rock faces and examining an archway made of saplings and vines. “I could swear I’ve been here before,” she whispers. 

A fruit-bearing tree and several bushes mark the center of the clearing. The berries have a bright pinkish color, unlike anything she’s ever seen. Peering above her head, she reaches up to inspect one; the apple-like sphere practically falls into her palm. Her stomach growls—she had spent her lunch hiding from bullies—and she raises the fruit towards her lips. 

“Don’t!” he smacks it from her hand, and it rolls several feet before coming to a stop in the underbrush. “You shouldn’t eat those.”

“But it looks so  _ good _ ,” Pidge whines, “and I’m  _ hungry _ .” Her stomach growls again as if to prove a point. 

He shakes his head, strands of hair falling in front of his eyes. “Nothing in this clearing is safe for humans to eat.” He reaches out, taking her hands in his. “Promise me, Pidge, promise me you won’t eat anything from this clearing.”

“Of course.” It seems like such an odd request. “Why would I eat anything poisonous?”

“Humans are tempted to do a number of foolish things.” He pauses and then adds, “I think your bullies have retreated.” 

A smile blossoms across her face. 

*

Her backpack weighs heavy, straps digging into her shoulder. Music doesn’t blast from the green headphones over her ears; instead, the padding muffles the sounds of everything around her and leaves her to her thoughts. Her sweatshirt and turtleneck help to block out the mid-March chill as she meanders off the forest path. She’d left class early, not even telling her friends about where she’s headed during her free period. 

She’s in her last year before she’s able to leave this town. But she’s still targeted by the popular kids as if she’s fourteen again. Indignation simmers into anger as she moves forward, over gnarled roots and early sprouts. She doesn’t focus on where her feet take her, and she takes a seat in the middle of a clearing, at the base of a smaller tree. 

There is a certain… serenity to the place, a calm peace amid her emotional turmoil. Sunlight streams down from the sky above, warming her despite the occasional gust of wind. Tears well up in the corners of her eyes, and she lets herself cry for the first time in years. The world is difficult, and people are cruel. She stares up at the sky, peering through the tree’s budding branches.

A familiar voice behind her has her wiping away tears. “Pidge?”

She doesn’t recognize the guy before her, but his presence puts her at ease, and she pats the spot next to her as an invitation. “Sit down, I don’t mind.” 

He slumps to the ground next to her, his breathing uneven as he catches his breath. It takes a while until she dares to break their silence, “Who are you?”

“Keith,” he replies with a small smile that doesn’t quite match the deep sadness in his eyes. “You can talk to me, if you want.”

It’s just what she needs, someone who listens as she vents her frustration. And she knows that he understands… somehow, he empathizes.

As the sun dips below the treeline, transforming the sky into an orange hue, she finds herself just watching him. He looks like he’s around her age, but they’ve never crossed paths in school. She’s sure she’d remember if she had a classmate with pale skin and purple-gray eyes. 

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Pidge comments. It’s a gut feeling, but she can’t shake the idea. 

“You… don’t have any memories of me,” he says, hesitating. Not ‘we’ve never met’ or even ‘I’ve got one of those faces’. 

“So, we  _ have _ .” She turns to face him, pressing a finger into his threadbare jacket. “Why don’t I remember you?”

He places his hands around the one she’s jabbing at him. “You won’t remember my explanation.” She doesn’t quite understand the pain in his expression as his eyes meet hers. “You’ll forget me again.”

“Explain it to me, then.” 

“What do you know about the Fey?”

“Like  _ A Midsummer’s Night Dream? _ ” 

“Not quite,” he replies. “Children are more likely to remember; they’re more in tune with what is outside the human realm. You just have an abnormally strong connection, for someone who’s essentially an adult.” Keith smiles again, bittersweet nostalgia on his face. “The longer we spent together, the more you were able to remember our shared history.”

“When was this?”

“It feels like a lifetime ago.” 

“Remind me?”

*

“I’m going to run away,” Pidge declares, amber eyes adamant. 

He laughs in a way that she knows doesn’t stem from condescension but rather his genuine amusement. “You wanted to finish up university first and you’ve only got a little more than a year left,” he points out. 

She sticks her tongue out at him. They’ve become close over the past few years, and she pointedly goes to see him whenever she can spare the time away from her academics. He’s become the person she confides in, even though it means going out of her way—since he doesn’t own any technology—and it elicits strange looks from townspeople since her family no longer lives nearby.

The only chances she gets to see him are here, in this forest, in the spare moments where she’s alone. She’s been hesitant for a while: she’s just going along with what people expect her to become, Katie Holt, daughter of scientists, a child prodigy, soon to be some sort of a tech developer.

She turns to him, surprised she hasn’t voiced this thought before. “Why don’t you run away with me? We can see the entire  _ world _ .”

Keith laughs again, but this time it’s tinged with sadness. Shaking his head, he replies, “That’s not possible.” A pause before adding, “ _ This _ is me running.” 

She doesn’t understand. He’s been stuck here for years. She’d argue he’s the same person—he doesn’t seem to have aged much physically either. After all, he’s the one who’d put the idea in her head, the thought of doing something impulsive because she wants to. 

“Why not?”

“I can’t be away from my world for too long,” he admits, reaching a hand forward to ruffle her hair. “Trust me, I’d join you if I could.”

She flushes but doesn’t duck away. “What would happen if I went with you to your world?” 

“Humans can’t exactly  _ visit _ where I’m from,” he admits. 

“Why not?” Her voice is tinged with curiosity; after all, he visits her.

“It’s more of a… permanent life choice.”

*

The midsummer nights are wonderful. Pidge loves that they can spend time together here, laying in the clearing and staring up at the sky. Her hometown is far enough from cities that Keith can point out the constellations to her, sharing stories about the different legends from all different cultures. It’s so beautiful, these moments, beneath a full moon and the milky way. 

She finds herself watching him, head tilted towards him as they lie together in the grass. He laughs, a beautiful sound, and she’s grateful for the moderate darkness as her face flushes pink. He’s wonderful, and she can’t imagine life without him. The realization that she’s in love with him is not quite a shock; she’s fallen for him over the past few months. 

“What are you thinking about?” Keith asks, breaking the silence. 

“It’s nice, being here.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

They lapse into silence again, and it’s only interrupted by her stomach growling. She spots a fruit from a nearby tree next to her. Pidge picks it up, raising it to her lips. He smacks it from her hands just before she takes a bite. 

The memories of a similar instance come flooding back, and she cocks her head to the side in confusion. “Why did you tell me not to eat the fruit? You do all the time.”

“They’re from my world. Just like I can’t be around things from your world, eating this—” he points to the fallen fruit, “—would change everything.”

*

“I’m going to have to leave again soon, Pidge,” he tells her one day, not quite meeting her eyes. “I’ve been away for too long and the toxins of this world are taking their toll.”

“Is there anything I can do?” she asks. She’s noticed he’s still pale, but she finally admits that the dark circles beneath his eyes haven’t gone away in weeks and his skin seems almost translucent in the daytime. 

Keith shakes his head. “The only way to heal is to go home. I may have put it off for too long this time around—it might take me a few months to heal.”

She can’t help the tears that cascade down her face as she realizes the inevitability of their situation. “I’m going to forget you again, aren’t I?” At his nod, she wipes her eyes but isn’t able to stop the tears. 

He reaches a hand up to wipe at the streaks running down her cheeks. “I hate to see you hurt. I’ve  _ always _ hated to see you hurt, Pidge.”

“Katie,” she says with a sniffle, “My actual first name is Katie.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

She reaches up, caressing the side of his face with a hand. “So that  _ when _ we meet again,  _ if I’ve forgotten _ about you, I’ll remember that you know me.”

*

A year has passed, and Katie Holt is finally leaving home. It’s nostalgia, she supposes, that brings her back through her old haunts and to the forest. There’s the biggest sensation of déjà vu as she finds herself in a clearing. The midsummer sun has not yet reached its apex, and the sunlight streams from above, dappling the ground with the shadows of leaves. 

“Have I been here before?” she muses aloud, as she trails around the singular tree in the center of this glade. 

There’s the sound of wind rustling, and it draws her attention to an arch made from vines and the bent trunks of saplings. She shakes her head—she really should get going—and begins to get ready to leave. She’s been planning this trip for the longest time, and she’s ready to depart… so why does she keep lingering? 

Giving the peaceful forest one last glance around, Katie nods. 

It’s time.

The air between the arch of trees shimmers, mirage-like, and seemingly out of nowhere a man appears. He’s breathing heavily, dark hair ruffled from exercise, and a smile crosses his face when he meets her eyes. 

“I know you,” she says, staring. Her bag slides off her shoulder, landing forgotten against the ground with a thump. “ _ How _ do I know you?”

Even as a stranger she can read the heartbreak on his face, the downcast look and reserved body language as he replies, “The first time we met, you were a child, Katie. But you’re my friend. You’re so much more than that.”

The memories come rushing back once more, and scarcely a moment passes before she launches herself forward into a hug. She doesn’t want to let go, doesn’t want to ever risk forgetting him again. His arms wrap around her, pulling her close to his chest and wrapping her in a warmth that feels like home. He steps away, but Katie keeps hold of his hand, refusing to let him run away.

“I can’t stay with you,” he reminds her, “I can’t  _ travel _ with you. This world kills my kind, and I’d either end up dying or never aging and watching you die.” His voice cracks, as close to a confession of love as she’ll get, “Go, explore the world. I’ll always be here when you get back.”

She shakes her head before wrapping her arms around him once more and burying her face against his chest. “How about this,” Katie proposes, “You take me with you. You have a whole world to explore too.” He looks ready to object, but she insists, “I don’t want to lose you again. Because not having you, even though it’s just my memories, is the worst. This way, we’d be  _ together _ .”

“You’re sure?” She nods, and he reaches up to the tree before them, pulling a piece of fruit from the boughs of the tree. “This is the key to our realm. But it means you can’t live here in the human world. You become a part of my world entirely.”

She takes a bite. Nothing seems to change, but Keith nods solemnly—it’s done. The taste of fairy fruit is like sugar lace on her lips, but nothing is sweeter than the kiss they share. “It’s an adventure,” Katie reminds him. “Our adventure.”

They walk through the portal to his world together, fingers interlaced as they make their way towards the future.


End file.
